With its state funds due to end this summer, the group is now changing its name, expanding its horizons, and broadening its mission to encompass the multiple trends that are transforming personal transport.

As of last Thursday, the former Drive Oregon is now Forth, a name that underscores its new role in advising on programs that move transportation into the future.

Now it's adding the other three factors that, combined with electrification, will change the nature of personal vehicles over the next 15 years: autonomous (and near-autonomous) self-driving cars, connectivity (in which cars are always able to send and receive data via a mobile link), and sharing.

The nature of those projects has yet to be determined, but Portland has a longstanding culture of carsharing, including electric vehicles, so there's a strong base of experience on which to build.

Third and finally, there's the Showcase project, about which we'll hear more shortly.

Federally funded as of last September, the Showcase is a permanent location in downtown Portland that will showcase a variety of electric vehicles from different manufacturers, as well as charging equipment.

It will have a strong educational component, with the goal of promoting the benefits of electric cars to regional consumers.

If it proves successful, such a model could be replicated in other cities and states across the country.

The U.S. Department of Energy gave a three-year grant of almost $1 million to Drive Oregon, to fund the storefront as part of a larger regional marketing campaign to promote electric cars and their multiple benefits within the region.

And that grant indicates Forth's future funding: a mix of grants from public entities, private foundations, and perhaps some work for profit-making service or equipment providers as well.

The expanded Forth, Allen says, will be "a national organization, grounded in the Northwest," with other pilot projects already underway elsewhere in the country that haven't yet been announced.

Electric Avenue - Portland, OR

He called the soon-to-open Showcase "a cross between a car dealership and science museum," created with the perspective that this project and other work by Forth should sound "less like a government agency than a more consumer-focused" organization

Asked to sum up the new mission in a sentence, Allen said: "Forth is transforming the way we get around, through innovation, advocacy, (consumer) engagement, and demonstrations of products and services."

And there you have it: the little can-do advocacy group born in Portland hasn't exactly left home, but it's certainly expanded its horizons.

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the spirit of full disclosure, Green Car Reports editor John Voelcker is one of several members of the council of advisers for Forth, the former Drive Oregon.